Friday, 3 June 2016

Feature: Willow Robinson (03/06/16)


Born in Los Angeles to British parents, 22 year old singer/songwriter, Willow Robinson, is now residing in Hay-on-Wye. He's recently been signed, after playing his first ever gig, and has also released his debut EP 'Stones', which features a selection of self-produced tracks recorded in Willow's home studio in rural Wales. Having just supported Kula Shaker on tour, he could be set for a pretty exciting 2016. 

General Questions:

1. How old were you when you started getting involved in music and how?
I started playing classical guitar and piano at a very young age, but it wasn't until around 11 years old that my parents bought me an electric guitar. It was at that point music took over my life and I knew exactly what I wanted to be. 

2. What is the most inspiring musical performance you've ever seen?
I recently saw David Gilmour at the Albert Hall and it really blew my mind. Every single one of my senses were amazed, The music was complimented so well by this incredible light show, and it made me realise performing is about leaving people in awe and creating an experience they will never forget. 

3. Who have you been listening to lately?
Lana Del Rey, Beck, John Mayer, Pink Floyd, Kula Shaker, Led Zep, the list goes on. 

3 Qs for Willow:

1. What inspires you lyrically and who influences you musically?
I read a lot, there is always inspiration in books. But mostly I write about experiences from my life, the best being ones that evoke extreme emotion, be it joy or sadness. It's impossible to pinpoint my musical influences as I find things that inspire me in almost all genres. All the great artists have left great things to draw from, but I try to be me as much as I can when I compose. 

2. Which is your favourite track from your debut EP 'Stones', and why does it stand out to you?
I am very attached to 'My Burdened Mind' because it took me two years to record and perfect. I completed the full production and mix completely on my own, so it was really a labour of love. Within this song you also hear me finding my sound, it was like the curtains being parted for the first time. I first started recording it when I discovered I could sing, and it really shocked me how well it turned out. 

3. You've just supported Kula Shaker on tour; which country would you most like to tour and who would be your dream act to perform alongside?
I really want to do a European tour and make a trip of it, stopping off at lots of beautiful places on the way. That's the way I like to tour, I hate just sitting in a car, wondering around a venue and seeing the inside of a hotel room. For me the journey is the destination. As far as my dream band to perform with, I know they're old, but The Rolling Stones. I imagine it would be seriously fun and the crowds they draw me insane, let's pretend I could perform with them in their heyday. 

Random Q:

Favourite lyric you've ever written?
'All I have are these dreams and pictures in my head, I just hope, I get to put them down on paper before I'm dead.'

 'Stones' Review:
'Stones' is a great track, with stunning guitar introducing the song to the listener. It's a classic blues infused song, with raw and emotive vocals from Willow. His skill for creating captivating lyrics, forces you to really listen and get lost. The song builds into a layered chorus, making it an incredibly powerful song, one that you really feel, and there's a fantastic guitar solo in there too... Enjoy! 

Willow's Links:

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Wednesday, 1 June 2016

Spotlight: Michael Persall (01/06/16)


Michael Persall played over 400 gigs in New York City last year and a recent February residency at Pianos in New York's Lower East Side to kick off 2016. Michael creates a sound that blends modern indie pop with soul and has a conversational and honest songwriting approach. He's one to watch this year...

'Focused' Review:
'Focused' is a brilliantly dark and intense track, growing into a powerful song. It's alternative pop soaked in soul, pushing boundaries as a singer/songwriter. Michael's honest and emotive songwriting is presented beautifully by his vocals. I'm really excited to hear more from Michael and see what more he has to offer! 


Michael's Links:

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Monday, 30 May 2016

Feature: Dance a la Plage (30/05/16)


Dance a la Plage formed in February 2011 after meeting on a music practise course at Leamington Spa College. Hailing from Banbury, Oxford, this alternative, indie pop four-piece are creating sound waves that need listening to. Slice (guitars/vocals), Harry (guitars/vocals), Sully (bass) and Howard (drums) have gained support from BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio, and even bigger things are to come! 

General Questions:

1. How old were you when you started getting involved in music and how?
Not old at all! We were about 8 or 9 when we started learning our instruments and we have always just been in bands growing up. Harry, Sully and Howard actually all went to Rock school so have been playing together for years and Slice joined them later when they met at college. 

2. What is the most inspiring musical performance you've ever seen?
Ah man that's hard! There have been so many. Think it's got to be when we all went to watch Tower Of Power play at Koko, London. They were just SO damn good! We all walked away thinking 'fuck, we're doomed' haha. It definitely helped give us some direction and ideas in terms of our musicianship and live performance. 

3. Who have you been listening to lately?
We've actually jut made our own playlist - (here)
There's all sorts on it from the funkiest of shit like Maceo Parker, Luther Vandross and CHIC to artists like John Mayer, Michael Jackson and Biscuits & Gravy.

 3 Qs for Dance a la Plage:

 1. Why / how did your name, Dance a la Plage, come about?
We were sat in our local venue called Also Know As after a show one night. At this point we were called Midas Touch, but hated the name and wanted to change it to something with a mix of languages. Our friend who was studying languages was throwing a load of suggestion at us all night and after what turned into a pretty heavy night, Dance a la Plage was the only one we could actually remember in the morning.

 2. If you could play a show anywhere, where would it be and why?
I think the dream would be to eventually headline a huge festival like Coachella or Glasto. Saying that, if money was no object we'd love to throw our own huge party on a beautiful beach abroad somewhere, fly everyone over, pay for their accommodation etc. Maybe the Caribbean or some other gorgeous country. Free drinks of course!

 3. When creating '222', was it a collective effort or did you have specific roles within the group?
The songwriting process varies each time we write a new song. Sometimes it's based on a lyrical idea, sometimes it's a bass line or drumbeat. Sometimes it's just a drone noise of a keyboard. Most of the time though, and for 222, it was a guitar riff. We tend to write as a collective and just let each other do their own thing.

 Random Q:

 Who in the band is most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse?
Depends, are they brain eating zombies? If so, Harry, Sully and Howard are fine - too much weed. If they are just hungry zombies looking for the biggest meal let's just they aren't going for Harry, Sully or Howard first! Either way, I suppose Slice is fucked!

 '222' Review:
'222' is a brilliant indie pop rock track, perfect for seeing the summer in with, anthemic choruses that should become everyone's soundtrack to BBQ season. Infectious riffs, melodies and bass lines and a rhythm that's impossible not to tap along to, you're gonna love this! 

Dance a la Plage's Links:

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Friday, 27 May 2016

What I'm Listening To... (27/05/16)

1. Kicks - Lauren Aquilina
This is the new single from Lauren Aquilina, and it's an upbeat tune! If this doesn't make it on to your summer playlists, then you're missing out! With an empowering message, catchy pop melody, it's a song that's bound to get stuck in your head, the video is pretty impressive too! Enjoy!

2. Paraesthesia - Signals.
I've only recently come across Signals. but I'm really enjoying their music, this is their most recent release. They've created a unique sound and make brilliant math pop tracks. I'm a bit gutted I didn't make their gig at Boileroom the other day, but I've been making up for it by having their songs on repeat.

3. Dangerous Woman - Eliza & The Bear
Eliza and the Bear recently headed into the Radio 1 Live Lounge and covered Ariana Grande's 'Dangerous Woman'. It's a pretty fab cover and I've consequently had the song stuck in my head a fair bit recently.

4. Grandma's Hands - Bill Withers
So this is a big throwback and one that nearly always gets played. The lyrics are beautiful and his vocals bring the soul to life. 'Grandma's Hands' is just a stunning song that I've loved for a very long time and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon.

5. Hello Hello - Lewis Watson
I'm on a huge Lewis Watson hype at the minute, spending most of my 'down' time listening to basically all of his discography, from his first EP right up to his recent singles taken from his forthcoming album, which I'm really excited to hear! It's looking (and sounding) like it's going to be one of the best singer/songwriter releases of the year.

6. Liquorice - Alice Jemima
I saw Alice support Martin Luke Brown last year and have been waiting for a new release from her ever since. Now Alice has released this brilliant new single and she's getting support from BBC Introducing and others. It's a catchy pop tune that's been stuck in my head for a while now - enjoy!

7. Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz
Another throwback in the way of some monkeys. 'Demon Days' is probably still up there on my list of all time favourite albums, and whilst this track isn't on that album, it's still from the brilliant band that created it. It's one of those that you can't not sing along to...

8. Tilikum - Benjamin Francis Leftwich
When I heard Benjamin was making it back into the world of music after a tough couple of years. This is the first song to be taken from his forthcoming album 'After The Rain'. This is a beautiful music video that accompanies an equally beautiful song...

9. Reckless - Gareth Emery ft. Wayward Daughter
I'm not usually a huge fan of electronic dance music, but as we're slowly coming into summer, this track has made it onto my playlists and I've been listening to it a fair bit. I've also been listening to some of the other tracks from Gareth Emery's new album, featuring Janet Devlin, Joseph, Lawson and others, and it's a great collection of songs.

10. Soon Soon - Tom Rosenthal
As some of you may (or may not) know, Tom Rosenthal is probably up there as one of my favourite singer/songwriters, he's a bit of a genius. I always enjoy his creative lyrics, songs and the accompanying music videos, I'm sure you will too! 

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Wednesday, 25 May 2016

Review: Me and The Moon (Single Launch @ The Boileroom, Guildford) (24/05/16)

On Tuesday, I finally had a reason to venture back to my favourite venue, The Boileroom, and it was a great excuse too! Me and The Moon had their single launch for 'The Light' and it was a brilliant evening of local, live music. 

Will Rowe-Parr kicked the night off with his smooth vocals and his original songs from his forthcoming EP. Managing to combine blues, indie pop and acoustic rock into a wonderful unique sound, alternating between acoustic and electric throughout the set. 

Five piece indie rock band, China Bears, were next to the stage, creating a full sound including tight harmonies, infectious electric guitars, groovy bass lines and steady rhythms. Reminiscent of Noah and The Whale and Saint Raymond, varying paces of songs, and sleepy soundscapes, high energy riffs with complimenting vocals carrying the melodies throughout. 

Beach For Tigers were the one act I hadn't come across before, and I was excited to hear what they had to offer - and wasn't let down. They're a five-piece psychedelic rock band, with wonderfully ethereal guitars, strong and funky bass lines, more tight harmonies and a trumpet shining throughout. They pull elements from so many genres into psychedelic rock and each of their songs and have created a signature sound, whilst not being too similar within the set list. I was a big fan. 


Then Me and The Moon headed on stage. They brought in a large and enthusiastic crowd that filled out The Boileroom. They kicked off their set perfectly with 'Hold On', taken from their debut EP, with their trademark sound of compelling guitar riffs, strong bass and rhythms, and of course strong vocals. It got the audience singing along to the chorus, and warmed them up for the rest of the set. 
They played a few new songs, 'Against The Tide' is a brilliant track, again with infectious guitars and strong lead vocals, backed by Johnny, highlighting the song's lyrics. 'Blind' started more stripped back, with Tamara-Jane on acoustic guitar, building into stuttered layers and a drum beat that's impossible not to clap along to. 'Daydreaming' is very folky, holding a steady rhythm throughout and growing into yet another catchy chorus; cutting to a guitar solo courtesy of Johnny and gradually building the layers back up into a fantastic song. Yet another song full of fantastic harmonies and getting the crowd clapping along again. 
After a few thank you's to the people who made their new single and accompanying music video possible, they introduced 'The Light'. This single is a brilliant follow up from their previous, 'Run With Wolves'. Starting stripped back and jumping into indie pop at it's best, memorable riffs and melodies, and empowering vocals, showcasing their range and harmonies as a band. 

They did a fierce cover of 'Til The End' by Lucy Rose,  Me and The Moon-ed it (and yes that's definitely a thing!) Producing a beautiful electronic soundscape that broke up their set of originals nicely. Another song from their debut EP 'Been A While' graced our ears, with a moodier tone, incredible instrumental breakdown and Johnny smashing it on guitar (again). They treated us to another new track, 'Get Away', which has a rockier intro, stunning group vocals, and a memorable melody. 
Greeted with chants of 'one more song', Me and The Moon (obviously) closed with their title track from their previous release, 'Run With Wolves'. As it's their most known song, everyone was either singing, humming or clapping along, which left it stuck in my head for a fair few hours afterwards - it's still there, 24 hours later... 
Overall, a fantastic evening, Me and The Moon did a fantastic job of creating a high energy performance on stage and atmosphere throughout the venue that brought their music to life. It's not often you can go to a gig now and have a quiet(ish) audience, but it was obvious that everyone was there to enjoy listening to and seeing them live, which shows how talented Alex, Johnny and Tamara-Jane really are! If you get a chance to see them live anytime soon, take it up, you won't be disappointed! 
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Monday, 23 May 2016

Feature: Youngsmith (23/05/16)


Brisbane's Youngsmith has been making his own music for ten years, having played both in a band as a solo artist, he has produced several EPs, had his work featured and played on national radio and surfing documents in other countries like Germany and the US. However, releasing his first single 'Wither' just last year he appears as a new name in the world of music. Now he's releasing his second single 'Red' and heading out on a national tour in support of the track... 

General Questions:

1. How old were you when you started getting involved in music and how?
I was 20. I had a major knee operation and was learning to walk again and I picked up my Dad's old guitar (he had got it when he was about 20). It'd never really been played but he kept it and it had three strings. I taught myself from there really... 

2. What is the most inspiring musical performance you've ever seen? 
I've seen a lot of famous bands but you kind of know what you're going to get going in a lot of the time. I'm a sucker for an open mic night myself. I find that really inspiring because you've got someone up there who's totally inexperienced pouring their heart out. Sure it's not all good, but quite often there's some really magical stuff that comes out when it's someone's first time up on stage. To me, that's inspiring. It takes guts to expose yourself like that. 

3. Who have you been listening to lately?
I'm stuck in the 80s and 90s at the moment. I've been listening to bootlegs and demos from Pearl Jam, AC/DC and Soundgarden on Spotify lately. Things like unused tracks and demos from PJ's Ten and AC/DCs Bonfire Box (a live album from the late 70s). I love listening to early recordings / early demos of famous bands that I know and love. I like to hear where the sound came from as a basic recording (without all the bells and whistles put it in production / mixing). 

3 Qs for Youngsmith:

1. You're heading on tour in July / August, but which is your dream venue to play and why?
My dream venue is probably The Tivoli in Brisbane at this point. I've played just about every other venue Brisbane has to offer now and that's the one that stands out for me because it's so local and unique. It's old school cool with pink carpet, and cool balconies and feels like something out of The Great Gatsby. 
It has a capacity of about 5,000 but it still feels intimate somehow. Getting complete silence during a song with just me and my guitar is something I secretly fantasise about. 

2. Where do you find you gain the majority of your influences from, both lyrically and musically?
I grew up listening to the music my older brothers listened to. All the 90s grunge bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden as well as stuff like Neil Young and Queen. I always found I related to the music during that time that had emotionally charged lyrics. Some of that music got me through my teens. 

3. What process did you go through creating 'Red' and how much did it differ to your previous release, 'Wither'?
'Red' was an easy song to write, I wrote it in about half an hour. It came to me pretty much completely written in my head. Sometimes songs come to me fully fleshed out, other times I have to rewrite them a bit and trial them at live gigs. 
Getting it down recording was a little more difficult though, because I'm not a huge fan of songs that follow the usual structure and I wanted to have a change in the chorus by the end. I wanted the song to start like a Vance Joy or Mumford & Sons track, but end as a more anthem rock n roll track while carrying the same vocal melody. 
I started recording 'Red' with drum loops and bass and built up layer upon layer from there, breaking down each part as I went. The process was a bit different from 'Wither' (which is pretty simple and was recorded live - for the most part). 

Random Q:

Three things you can't live without?
My cattledog Hudson, my guitar and sugar... 

'Red' Review:
This is a Simon & Garfunkel-esque track, holding a similar style of songwriting and narrative, however it's a soul infused folk/rock song, full to the brim of feelings, that resonate with the listener. Youngsmith's powerful, slightly rugged vocals bring the track to life and lead the steadily growing guitar and percussion throughout. If you like Bon Iver, Jake Isaac or Matt Corby - this is a song for you! 


Youngsmith's Links:

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Friday, 20 May 2016

Spotlight: Samuel Jack (20/05/16)


Samuel Jack has announced the release of his debut EP 'Live From My Caravan', and it will be released on June 17th. Born in London, before moving to Johannesburg at the age of 12, he's now settled in Dorset, writing and recording in a caravan (where he lives). Last Year Samuel Jack opened The Avalon Stage at Glastonbury festival and has been wowing audiences at a string of private clubs in LA and London. Recently championed by BBC Introducing and having shared the stage this past few months with established artists like Grand Master Flash and Izzy Bizu, Samuel Jack is one to watch! 

'Let It All Out' Review:
Samuel Jack has created a beautifully heartwarming and soulful song, acoustic music at it's best. This track is full of life, with emotive lyrics showing his skill for storytelling, which are brought to life by his rugged vocals. His lifetime influences of blues, Motown, soul and roots shine through this song, a wonderful track that paves the way for the rest of Samuel Jack's introductory acoustic EP. 


See Samuel Live:
26th May: The Bedford, London
29th May: Innocent Unplugged Festival
16th June: Aloft, London Excel
2nd July: Cheese & Grain Festival, Frome
15th July: Larmer Tree Festival
21st July: Surya, London (co-headline with Beth Rowley)

Samuel's Links:

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